fall cinnamon rolls

I mean, can anyone really ingest enough pumpkin in the fall? Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice chai, pumpkin donuts, pumpkin cookies...I feel as though I'm not really enjoying fall unless I have inhaled a daily consumption of some pumpkin-type food.

So when I came across the recipe for these pumpkin cinnamon rolls with cream cheese I had a feeling that this would become another fall favorite, and boy was I right!

The cinnamon/butter/sugar filling slightly caramelizes while baking, so when you're eating the fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon roll, the roll itself is soft and chewy while the filling is a bit crispy. And that cream cheese tang beautifully complements pumpkin every time. It's like eating the whole season in one (not so) perfectly shaped pinwheel.

keeps gettin' better

I've made this cake twice in the past month because it's that good. It's a cake that just gets more moist and flavorful over a couple of days, unlike a typical cake which gets dry and drier.

And that's why this is a perfect cake to serve during the holiday season. I mean, how wonderful would your life be if you knew guests were coming, you whipped this up the night before, knowing that you could serve this the next day with confidence? Or what if you are attending a pot luck, or giving some as a gift? It travels beautifully because the icing hardens, so it's not like a smear-able buttercream frosting.

easy, breezy mornings

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while now, so when my sister invited a friend and I over for brunch, I knew this would be the perfect accompaniment. First of all it's pumpkin flavored, and we all know how I feel about that. 

Secondly, it's a cinnamon French toast (which I love) but baked, so you're not laboring over a pan flipping a couple of pieces of bread at a time. Thirdly, this is better if you assemble it the night before baking, giving you the morning to leisurely toss this into the oven and do your nails or something. 

turn it over

Well, here's another pumpkin recipe, as promised. I hope you're not getting too sick of apple and pumpkin yet because there's more to come... although Ruby just turned 3 last Saturday, so I'll have her birthday recap coming up soon.

Sometimes I have a lone sheet of puff pastry begging to be used, and when I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge (I hate to toss that...) I knew turnovers were destined to be in my near future.

Pumpkin and cream cheese are a wonderful pairing and I just love puff pastry. It's so easy to work with and yields such a wonderful, flaky, buttery result (that is so much better than pie crust, in my opinion), and the best part? It's store bought. Yup, homemade puff pastry dough may be on my list of things to make someday when I have tons of butter and tons of time, but for now, the grocery store wins.

chocolate addition

I love pumpkin-flavored baked goods so much, that when I was organizing my recipes, I devoted an entire section to all things pumpkin. It's so convenient having them grouped together, so when I flipped to the pumpkin tab and came across these cookies, I knew I had to showcase them here.

These delicious, cake-like, cinnamon pumpkin chocolate chip cookies contain some of my favorite flavors. I don't know where this recipe originated, just that I had copied it from my mom's recipe box when I was a teenager.

These cookies make four dozen, so they'd be perfect for a bake sale or a Halloween party, and believe me they go fast. 

pump it up

Now that we're in October, I've decided to focus my baking on two fall staples: pumpkin and apple. I've got a lot of great recipes in store for this month (and none of them are pumpkin or apple pie!) so stay tuned and hopefully you'll enjoy what I'm dishin' out.

I'm so excited to share these beauties. I love pumpkin muffins with cream cheese, and when I came across this recipe over 8 years ago, I fell in love a little more because there was an amazing topping. 

Cinnamon, sugar, pecans and coconut all on top of an already delicious muffin?! Yes, these truly are worth making. 

Soft Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Pecan Frosting

These are seriously my favorite pumpkin cookies ever! I saw them here and thought they looked interesting. I haven’t really changed the recipe because it’s pretty much perfection as-is. There's not even a lot of cleanup, just one bowl and a saucepan, taking away any excuse for laziness.

The cookies are not overly sweet and have a really soft, cake-like texture so the brown sugar and butter frosting makes a perfect complement. The pecans aren’t necessary but they do cut through the softness to give the cookie some crunch.

  

this is once the milk has been added

 

(recipe after the jump)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars

Yes it’s fall and pumpkin recipes are out in full force. I’m really sorry if you are one of those people who don’t like pumpkin flavored food. What a shame. So sad. Well I may not change your mind (or your taste buds) with this recipe, but these are pretty tasty.

If you like cheesecake and pumpkin, these are the bars for you. There is a fantastic shortbread crust, with an oat and nut topping, that adds a much-needed crunch to combat the richness of the filling.

This really is an easy recipe to make. No fancy mixing equipment involved here, just a couple of dirty spoons and bowls.